DK Travel : Dublin : History & Culture

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Parnell Square

The credit for this lovely Georgian square goes to Sir Benjamin Mosse, who founded the Rotunda Hospital here. It was considered one of Dublin’s smartest addresses in the 1760s, then its fortunes declined, but it remains home to some fine literary museums and art galleries.
Patrick Kavanagh

Kavanagh (1904–67), born in Monaghan, went to London in 1939 and began a career as a poet and journalist. His reputation was established with a long and bitter poem of rural life, The Great Hunger (1942).
Patrick Pearse

Pearse (1879–1916) was executed for delivering the Proclamation of Independence in 1916.
Phoenix Park

There is enough to see within this vast park to keep the visitor busy for a whole day. The zoo is one of the main attractions, and Áras an Uachtaráin provides the official home to the President of Ireland.
Pope John Paul II

In 1979 Pope John Paul II visited Ireland, the high point of which was his mass in Phoenix Park, attended by more than a million people. The Papal Cross marks the spot (see Papal Cross).
Powerscourt Estate

Five minutes from the pretty village of Enniskerry, Powerscourt Estate is a magnificent spot. The visitor approaches the house down a long beech-lined avenue with beautiful views across the valley. The house, designed by Richard Cassels in the 1730s, was gutted by fire in 1974, but a small exhibition gives the “before and after” story of its reconstruction. The main part of the house is now given over to an up-market shop (see Greater Dublin) and large restaurant. The gardens are spread over a steep slope looking across to Sugar Loaf Mountain; steps lead down to a lake, where a Triton fountain hurls water high into the air.

Powerscourt
Powerscourt Townhouse

This powerful looking building with its grand entrance was designed in 1771 by Robert Mack as a home for the third Viscount Powerscourt. The first-floor reception rooms, by Michael Stapleton, and the elegant hall can still be appreciated even though the house was imaginatively converted into a shopping precinct in 1981.
Powerscourt Townhouse

Built in the 18th century for Viscount Powerscourt, this fine building was converted into a shopping precinct in 1981. The main, grand entrance opens into a fine hall and staircase. The Georgian Room on the first floor, now turned into a shop similar to the other reception rooms, has exquisite plasterwork created by Michael Stapleton. There is a variety of stores here, including jewellery designers, trendy boutiques, craft outlets, coffee specialists and greengrocers. When you have exhausted your shopping cravings, there are plenty of places to eat and drink.
Punishment of the Children of Tuireann

For murdering his father, the sun god Lugh demanded that the three sons of Tuireann give him magical objects and perform difficult feats. Their last task was to make three shouts from the Hill of Miochaoin; these shouts summoned supernatural warriors who killed them.
Pursuit of Diarmait and Grainne

Finn MacCoul asked King Cormac for the hand of his daughter Grainne, but she eloped with Finn’s nephew Diarmait. For a year and a day Diarmait and Grainne fled as enraged Finn pursued them around Ireland.